Predictive value of angiopoietin-like protein 8 in metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease and its progression:A case-control study

BACKGROUND The prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD)is rapidly increasing,currently affecting approximately 25%of the global population.Liver fibrosis represents a crucial stage in the development of MAFLD,with advanced liver fibrosis elevating the risks of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.Simple serum markers are less effective in diagnosing liver fibrosis compared to more complex markers.However,imaging techniques like transient elastography face limitations in clinical application due to equipment and technical constraints.Consequently,it is imperative to identify a straightforward yet effective method for assessing MAFLD-associated liver fibrosis.AIM To investigate the predictive value of angiopoietin-like protein 8(ANGPTL8)in MAFLD and its progression.METHODS We analyzed 160 patients who underwent abdominal ultrasonography in the Endocrinology Department,Xiaogan Central Hospital affiliated to Wuhan University of Science and Technology,during September 2021-July 2022.Using abdominal ultrasonography and MAFLD diagnostic criteria,among the 160 patients,80 patients(50%)were diagnosed with MAFLD.The MAFLD group was divided into the liver fibrosis group(n=23)and non-liver fibrosis group(n=57)by using a cut-off fibrosis-4 index≥1.45.Logistical regression was used to analyze the risk of MAFLD and the risk factors for its progression.Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to evaluate the predictive value of serum ANGPTL8 in MAFLD and its progression.RESULTS Compared with non-MAFLD patients,MAFLD patients had higher serum ANGPTL8 and triglyceride-glucose(TyG)index(both P<0.05).Serum ANGPTL8(r=0.576,P<0.001)and TyG index(r=0.473,P<0.001)were positively correlated with MAFLD.Serum ANGPTL8 was a risk factor for MAFLD[odds ratio(OR):1.123,95%confidence interval(CI):1.066-1.184,P<0.001).Serum ANGPTL8 and ANGPTL8+TyG index predicted MAFLD[area under the curve(AUC):0.832 and 0.886,respectively;both P<0.05].Compared with MAFLD patients without fibrosis,those with fibrosis had higher serum ANGPTL8 and TyG index(both P<0.05),and both parameters were positively correlated with MAFLD-associated fibrosis.Elevated serum ANGPTL8(OR:1.093,95%CI:1.044-1.144,P<0.001)and TyG index(OR:2.383,95%CI:1.199-4.736,P<0.013)were risk factors for MAFLD-associated fibrosis.Serum ANGPTL8 and ANGPTL8+TyG index predicted MAFLD-associated fibrosis(AUC:0.812 and 0.835,respectively;both P<0.05).CONCLUSION The serum levels of ANGPTL8 are elevated and positively correlated with MAFLD.They can serve as predictors for the risk of MAFLD and liver fibrosis,with the ANGPTL8+TyG index potentially exhibiting even higher predictive value.

Mechanism of immune attack in the progression of obesity-related type 2 diabetes

Obesity and overweight are widespread issues in adults,children,and adolescents globally,and have caused a noticeable rise in obesity-related complications such as type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).Chronic low-grade inflammation is an important promotor of the pathogenesis of obesity-related T2DM.This proinflammatory activation occurs in multiple organs and tissues.Immune cellmediated systemic attack is considered to contribute strongly to impaired insulin secretion,insulin resistance,and other metabolic disorders.This review focused on highlighting recent advances and underlying mechanisms of immune cell infiltration and inflammatory responses in the gut,islet,and insulin-targeting organs(adipose tissue,liver,skeletal muscle)in obesity-related T2DM.There is current evidence that both the innate and adaptive immune systems contribute to the development of obesity and T2DM.

Development and Application of Portable Reference Radiation Fields with Multi-Point Single-Energy Photon

Based on the needs of detection and calibration with low-energy X-ray, we used the relationship characteristics of X-ray fluorescence, absorption and limit potential target excitation, developed the X-ray device with adjustable intensity (single photon to 107/s), optional energy points (4 keV - 20 keV), highly portable (≤1 kg), by the matching design of fluorescence energy conversion target and modulation means, coupled transport simulation of electron-photon in target, meanwhile, we solved the low-energy X-ray radiation field diagnose problems with HPGe detector, which calibrated with combined technique, including relatively wide energy efficiency simulation and single energy point of absolute efficiency calibration. In single-photon calibration field of soft X-ray pulsar navigation detect, the portable reference single energy radiation fields was applied effectively and got good result, the reference radiation fields provided perfect experiment means for the scientific study of pulsar navigation detecting, sun X-ray monitoring, etc.

A Bayesian validation approach to practical boson sampling

Boson sampling is a promising candidate for demonstrating quantum supremacy. The validation that involves judging whether a quantum setup outputs photons following the boson sampling model is an essential task in the experiments. However, the current validation methods may result in an incorrect conclusion being reached in realistic experiments, in which no ideally identical photons exist. Accordingly, this study proposes a slope-based approach, which is an extended Bayesian validation, to model the degree of photon indistinguishability. Through numerical simulations and performance evaluations, we demonstrate that the proposed approach can correctly validate boson sampling against the distribution of classical particles. In addition to offering a useful approach for validation, our research indicates that physicists should pay more attention to the quality of photon indistinguishability in boson sampling experiments.